Help ...

[nanchil]

Can someone please help me with this Algae ? I am battling with this for more than 6months... My tank is around 18 months old... It is like dark green mat on the surface of the sand ... Its easily removable ( Can be rolled and thrown away) but comeback right away within couple of days ... I have enough water flow ( 2 MP40) 0n 525 XL ... Enough cleanup crews ... I am dosing red sea NOPEX ... Had a out break of BA but it is completely gone now ( Used Vibrant ) .. Hope someone can identify this algae and help me with this. Thanks everyone for your help ... I have attached a pic... I have a small video clip too .... How can I upload the video file here ? Here is the Youtube link ...



My water parameter :

Phosphate - 0 (Salifert)
Nitrate - 0.25 ( Salifert)

 

[nanchil]

More pictures ..

 

[nanchil]

Anyone?

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Looks like some sort of cyano to me

 

[Subsea]

Turn the blue lights down if you want us to identify. Cyno comes in many colors.

PS:
In viewing your video, the thick mat you rolled off your substrate is cyno.

Understand this about cyno, it scavenges it’s nutrients. Nitrogen fixation is a unique property of cynobacteria in which inert nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia then consumed as a source of nitrogen. @Randy Holmes-Farley described a process in which cyno converted inorganic calcium phosphate into organic phosphate.

The mat of cyno you rolled off in the video took more than a few days to grow. I suggest you up your sandbed maintenance.

 

[nanchil]

Thanks for that. I will read more about Cyno. I do 10% water change every other week. The mat in the video is two weeks growth. And I do have lot of nasuri snails and one sand sifting star. Will read more about this and if needed will add more. Thanks again.

Turn the blue lights down if you want us to identify. Cyno comes in many colors.

PS:
In viewing your video, the thick mat you rolled off your substrate is cyno.

Understand this about cyno, it scavenges it’s nutrients. Nitrogen fixation is a unique property of cynobacteria in which inert nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia then consumed as a source of nitrogen. @Randy Holmes-Farley described a process in which cyno converted inorganic calcium phosphate onto organic phosphate.

The mat of cyno you rolled off in the video took more than a few days to grow. I suggest you up your sandbed maintenance.

 

[Subsea]

Not many herbivores eat cyno.

My most consistant success dealing with cyno is weekly sand bed vacuumed during water change.